To the moon & back

One of my fondest memories of my father thus far is when he used to say he loved me. It was epic, he wouldn't just say it simply, but he would tell me he loved me till the end of time.

I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON & BACK

he would say. Just as I would go to bed after he tucked me in so that I had a solid sense of security and hope before I closed my eyes and the world went dark. Or at least before I closed my eyes to fool him and then turned my night light off and snuck off to do arts and crafts. That actually explains a lot about my current career...

As I was job searching last year, not sure of where life would take me, a dear friend introduced me to this vid. Hope it makes you smile like it did for me :)

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Snow daze

SNOW DAY BREAKFAST

n.y.c. was supposed to be hit last night with one of the biggest storms in history. I'm not sure if it lived up to the hype, but before I went home yesterday I picked up some food that didn't require any electricity just in case. I don't normally eat breakfast, which I know is the exact wrong thing to do, but Grapefuit was one of the few things that my parents would get me to eat. My dad would always cut one in half and give me one of them, and we put some sugar on it and dig in. My mom would make me salsa eggs, but that one requires a heat source, so I went with the first option. Something about the rush in the a.m. and not being a morning person never lets me enjoy a morning snack, but slowing down a bit for the snow day made me realize how important it is. Grapefruit is great for your heart and contains tons of Vitamin C which is a huge immunity booster and great for seasons like this where colds and the flu is going around! It is also believed that the Lycopene these fruits have stop tumors from forming in the body. Never a bad thing to have.

I took advantage of the day to check some indie movies off my list that i've been meaning to see, get some sleep, do a little work and hit the refresh button. 

It was{n't} a lazy sunday

THE HIGH LINE, Chelsea 

If you haven't had the opportunity to visit the high line in n.y.c. you should definitely take the time and explore. It stretches out about one and a half miles in lower manhattan and is suspended above the city where a railroad once used to be. It's beautiful where urban and park meet to make this strange mixed atmosphere that overlooks the Hudson. The West side of new york definitely has it's treasures. This walkway has charming touches along the entire way from the isolated juice bar above, and the many tunnels, benches and greenery that are entwined with the unique architecture of the bridge itself.

GANSEVOORT MARKET, Meatpacking

At the end of the high line and over a bit is this beautiful market. It covers a variety of goods from delicious tea at LOV organic to small treasures and plantlife at Flower Girl to a beautiful open area with sunroof to enjoy any of the many treats they have to offer. Unfortunately I didn't have much time to sample the local eats while I was there, but being in a nice cozy and almost summer-like environment on a cool winter day was priceless and I can't wait to go back there again realllll soon.

I really appreciate days like these where you start with a vague plan of what to do and a few friends who are up to the adventure. With winter here and the upcoming storm, it's so easy to find yourself on a couch or in bed waiting for the time to pass till you can feel comfortable again, and then it begins to feel silly to me that we let the weather outside determine how we feel at times. I find myself yearning for a beach somewhere where I can sink my toes into the sand and feel the waves against my skin, but that's not where i'm at right now. it's here. in the freezing Northeast. where I call home. So I might as well put on those snow boots, grab some hot chocolate and make the most of it.

Flyaway.

Flyaways - the bane of my existence. 

These guys are always waiting for me in the morning when I get out of bed or just as all my hair dries and settles, they're just on top of my head refusing to conform to the rules of the typical hair follicle. I've since found a way to control them every morning, a product that you wouldn't I suppose consider to use to tie these down so that I can at least attempt to look like I have tame hair. Brow Gel, that's the trick. I just apply at the base of the piece of hair that's giving me trouble and brush alongside the hair I want it to 'go steady with'. It's flexible gel so it doesn't make your hair feel hard like spray does and also you can shape it as you are brushing it down so it's an extremely quick process. 

Promises, promises

In light of the new year, my friends and I decided that we would get together and make some resolutions to keep not only this year, but in life. Sharing your hopes, dreams, and problems with those you care about most is an important aspect of friendship and sometimes sharing with others helps them helps you keep motivated on what you set out to do.

We started out by writing down those things we wanted to change to grow into the people we wanted to be or maintain the people that we are now. Spoke about those things that have happened in the past year that have influenced these changes and also, just reminisced about the great things that last year brought into our lives. I feel as thought it's truly important to look back and appreciate the events that have transpired to bring us to where we are today.

Lastly, we took all of those written resolutions and put them into a container in a shared (or personal) space so that we can be constantly reminded of those things that we wrote down when we see them!

**note: this can take place at any time of the year, and not only at the start of the year even though this is the time marker that sparks change. In fact, it would be a great thing to do during the summer after we forgot about those promises we made months ago.

GOOD LUCK

xo

sleepytime aids

After entering the 'real world' I feel like I have a better understanding of insomnia. Sometimes it feels like nothing is going your way or negative parts of your life overshadow those positive things that are present in our lives. It's easy for negativity to stack up and for the stress to build up along with it, and for me at least, this stress contributes to lack of a steady slumber. 

Here's something that was passed on to me by my father so that I would be able to wipe the slate clean and get to bed without thinking to much about what's bothering me day-to-day.

WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING THAT IS STRESSING YOU OUT OR THAT YOU NEED TO ACCOMPLISH

DO THOSE THINGS YOU CAN CHANGE BEFORE YOU GO TO BED

CROSS OUT EVERYTHING YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY DO TO RELIEVE THAT STRESS

It's one of those therapeutic mind exercises that really does work to clear your head and leave room for the sheep to start coming in so you can start counting and zzzz out.

Some sleepy tea doesn't hurt either.

Sea Mist

I don't have what you would consider to be curly hair, but I don't have what you would consider to be straight hair either. I walk the line in an area that you could call 'wavy'. Its for this reason that I crave the days during the summer where I dive into the sea and emerge from the water with more voluminous and curly hair than I have ever had in it's natural form. This is the environment in which my hair thrives.

Unfortunately, I live on the island of Manhattan instead of Maui, so during the wintertime, it become increasingly difficult to get this body formula straight from the source. The crisp cold air doesn't do quite the same trick so I resort to ocean in a bottle in the form of Sea Mist. This spray has a subtle lavender hint which is not too overpowering and I apply it right after I shower so that it mixes in well with the water. If you're not too crazy about spending the dough for such a simple fix, you might find some luck mixing three parts water, one part salt with a teaspon of lavender extract!

say cheese

The photobooth has become an essential element for the parties i've been making it to lately. It's a fun way to let loose and capture the moment with some old friends or share some candid moments with someone you've just met. I've found that using extra props really takes it up a notch, so my sister and I decided to make some together while we were home over the holidays. It was a quick and easy way to add flair to our parties, and much better than bringing a cheese plate in my opinon.
Here's how you make them if you want to try your own for your next friendly gathering!

SOLID CARBOARD (NOT CORRUGATED)
SCISSORS OR EXACT KNIFE
WITE OR HOT GLUE
DECORATING MATERIALS (GLITTER)
ACRYLIC OR SPRAY PAINT
SKEWER STICKS
PEN OR PENCIL

1. Draw outlines of some different types of accessories you might want to make on the cardboard
2. Cut the figures out
3. Glue the skewer sticks to the left or right sides of the figures and let dry
4. Turn over and put glue and glitter (or decorate freely) and let dry
5. Turn over and paint the backs where the skewer sticks are to hide cardboard, you can also paint the sticks as well if you so choose

Be sure to make it your own, and consider making different accessories for different occasions!

Just hanging around

I've been feeling a little down about the cold winter weather thats been rolling through nyc lately, so I thought i'd bring some promise of spring into the apartment with some flowers. This wall hanging is really quick and easy to make and can be as big or small as you want to make it to fill some space!

These are the materials you need to create this piece of decor:

WOODEN DOWEL OR CHOPSTICK

HEMP STRING

ROPE

You can start by tying either side of the hemp string to the ends of the dowel or stick. Cut each piece of rope twice the length that you want it to be, and loop each one on the stick equally apart. To knot, take two pieces of string for the middle and weave the two ropes on either side above and below opposite ways to interlock. Keep alternating between doing two on the outside and one on the inside until you are all out of string or at your desired length.

There will be a space in the middle where you can weave in a flower (either fake or real) to bring a little nature (& a little more joy) into your home.

the plain white tee

There it is, that white tee. I remember the first time I saw someone really pull it off when I was in high school - it was one of those $2 hanes v-necks - and she paired it with jeans and it was the most simple chic outfits i've ever seen. Ever since, I love a good white tee, but I usually end up dressing it up a bit more these days.

If you really want to know my rule of thumb for any outfit here it is:

CONTRAST

If you want to wear a simple loose tee on the top, then make sure you wear some form-fitting wax jeans and speckled tall socks a heel. If you want to wear some boyfriend jeans, then match it with a tight shirt or a crop top. And don't forget to add some accessories to every outfit, I find that drop down necklaces usually work best for simple shirts since they take up more space on top of the outfit and add just a little bit of detail.

MADEWELL WHITE CROP TEE

FOREVER 21 JACKET

J BRAND COATED BLACK SKINNY JEANS

MADEWELL CHARLEY TAB BOOTS

JCREW MINK IVORY WOMEN'S CAMP SOX

p.s. Just as I was about to take pictures for this post, do you know what happened? One of my best friends showed up for our playdate wearing the same shirt, with a present from the holidays wrapped the same way, with the same sort of present inside. Just mentioning this because I feel like these kinds of events are worth mentioning, when you have a connection with a friend that is so telepathic.

Walls without borders

It's a new year, and at each milestone in life I find myself flipping through photo albums, recounting memories from the past. Photos are a unique thing, they capture how you felt in that split second. A moment that you will never get back, and yet you have proof that it happened. Sad for a moment that the time has past, it also reminds me of all the great times that have been fortunate to take place in my life.

This year I decided I want an area on my wall along the lines of the ones I used to assemble in collage form on the walls of my freshman dorm. I'm not in college anymore though, so I sought out a way to create a collage that was more classy to match my graduated status. It was then that I formed this work in progress. I printed various sizes of photos both on paper and Polaroids, collected photobooth gems and picked up little accents that just felt right alongside my memories. It yielded this wall, one that I smile at every day before I leave for work in the morning and right before I go to bed in the PM. The best part about it is that as my memories grow, so can my collage, ever changing just like life!

Red Wine Brussel Sprout Salad

RED WINE

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

GOAT CHEESE

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

JACOBSON PINOT NIOR SALT (OPTIONAL)

TURKEY OR REGULAR BACON

Preheat oven to 375 and cook chopped Brussels for 10 minutes. At the same time sautée the bacon in a saucepan. Remove bacon from the saucepan but leave bacon grease in pan. When brussels are soft, turn heat back onto medium on stove and sautée the vegetables. While they are cooking add even amounts of red wine and balsamic vinegar and a pinch of pinot noir salt to the pan so that flavors cook in. Finally turn off heat and immediately add bacon back to the pan and mix in goat cheese.  

greetings

New Year, New site!

Welcome to Ricky & Leigh, the brainchild of a fashion-obsessed photo-loving magazine designer. I've made the move from tumblr to blogspot, so click here if you feel like going old school!

I've been inconsistently blogging for some years now, and I thought it is time to really step up my game. This blog will be home to all of the lovely ideas that I have from style to beauty and design (& all things in between!)